American variety show: The Godfather, the Peace Ambassador, what the heck?

Chapter 120 The Law of Avalanche and Silence: The Judge
Scarpa's sudden betrayal not only shocked his brother but also the entire Colombo family in the days that followed.

As a gang leader, Scarpa had been with the family for many years and had participated in many criminal operations, large and small. He had countless pieces of evidence against the family members, and he even clearly remembered that seven or eight corpses were buried under the toilet floor tiles of someone's house.

During the Civil War these days, Scarpa has gathered a lot of new evidence through wiretapping.

In addition, there was his personal testimony.

If more evidence comes down, the entire Colombo family will go crazy!

Scarpa was an informant?!

You son of a bitch, Scarpa!
Screw you harvesters! In the end, are you only harvesting your own brothers?!
What about the law of silence? What about loyalty?
Persico, who had only been in power for a few days, was so angry that he smashed up his own house. When he saw Denham come to his door again, a utterly miserable smile appeared on his face:

"Now I finally understand why the FBI arrived so quickly when Gallo attacked the clothing factory, and why you were able to find Gallo's whereabouts so easily. Hahaha, it turns out the FBI had already turned Scapa! I was fighting Gallo to the death, and you all saw it all!"

Persico's eyes gleamed with a madness even greater than Gallo's. "I truly didn't expect you guys could actually turn a Mafia stalwart like Scarpa! But don't think you've won. The evidence Scarpa has can't bring me down!"

Old Pigeon had anticipated all of this. Denham calmly patted the snowflakes falling on his shoulder: "Perhaps one Scarpa isn't enough, what if there are a few more Scarpas? Guess how many of you would choose to betray you and your family for a reduced sentence when so many people are being charged together?"

Scarpa was just a tiny snowflake.

But it could trigger a massive avalanche.

After saying that, Denham waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to arrest Persico: "Persico, I am now formally arresting you on charges of incitement to murder, murder, robbery, extortion, blackmail, illegal gambling, money laundering, fraud, drug trafficking, smuggling, and illegal firearms trafficking! Now you can shut the hell up and talk to your stupid lawyer."

Turning to leave the room, Denham heard Persico's struggles and roars behind him. He looked up; the snow was falling harder and harder.

The arrest operation went very smoothly over the next few days.

Originally, due to the internal family conflict, only a dozen or twenty members were accused, but this time, the number of accused has risen to three digits.

The FBI raided a key Colombo Mafia headquarters today, arresting seven members suspected of drug trafficking. They seized $15 million worth of drug crime ledgers showing a 12-year infiltration of East Coast port customs.

[FBI and NYPD joint operation yields another victory! 19 more Mafia leaders arrested today, and illegal weapons cache seized, including 27 modified submachine guns]

According to the FBI, this is the largest Mafia purge of the century! Today, 32 members of 'Our Cause' were charged in Manhattan federal court with money laundering, labor exploitation, robbery, extortion, and other violent crimes.

[Devastating Evidence Revealed! Allegations of the Colombo family manipulating New York City municipal projects lead to further arrests of contractors]

【.】

Just before Christmas, a series of shocking scandals broke out in New York, shocking not only New Yorkers but also major gangs and the other four major families.

Many people did not expect this to happen.

The avalanche came too quickly and too violently.

That was the Colombo family, one of the five great families. Even if they were reduced to a pile of rubble by the roadside because of the civil war, they were still a relatively large pile. And yet, the authorities just trampled them flat.
This Christmas was far too lively.

Long Island.

Gambino held a newspaper in his hand, wearing glasses, his face tense as he carefully read the contents. The entire room was so quiet that you could hear breathing, and the invisible aura seemed to freeze the surrounding air.

Paul didn't dare to breathe too loudly; he hadn't seen Gambino look so serious in a long time.

After a long while, Gambino put down the newspaper, a hint of worry flashing across his brow.

“This matter doesn’t involve our family,” Paul reassured him. “Only the Colombo family is unlucky. The FBI should know that dealing with one family is already difficult enough; they don’t have the resources or energy to deal with all five families at the same time.”

"That's not what I'm worried about."

Gambino shook his head: "It's because the Mafia's rule of silence has been broken. Last time with Gaudi, someone broke the rules, but they only betrayed Gaudi, and the commotion wasn't that big. But this time it's different. A high-ranking Mafia member has actually been recruited by the FBI as an informant."

The old man looked at Paul with his deep eyes: "Do you know what this means? We in the Mafia are no longer safe! Scarpa's actions will have a ripple effect. He set an example, and many people will follow suit."

"Anyone could become the next Scarpa! Nobody will take the Law of Silence seriously anymore! This is something I absolutely cannot allow to happen!"

Overcome with emotion, Gambino clutched his chest and coughed twice. Paul, alarmed, quickly found some medicine and water and carefully fed it to Gambino.

Gambino patted Paul's hand to indicate that he was alright. "I even suspect that the FBI was behind this civil war in Colombo. They are the real directors. With Scarpa as the mole, they can see everything clearly."

Gambino just couldn't understand how the FBI had made such a precise move as "Scapa".

This brilliant move caught everyone off guard; before this, no one had ever imagined that someone would be recruited by the FBI as an informant.

Even if someone betrayed the Mafia before this, it was a one-time betrayal, not being sent back by the FBI to continue infiltrating the Mafia.

In that instant, Gambino became even more worried about the future of the Mafia.
He is still alive and, with his influence in various circles, he can still exert his authority for a time and protect his family.

As long as I live, the Federation will not dare to lay a hand on my family!

But once he died, Gambino couldn't imagine what would happen. Without him to oversee things, his family, the committee, and the entire New York underworld would suffer a devastating blow.

Even the law of silence is starting to fail.
Suddenly, Luca's face flashed into my mind.

"Paul, please schedule a time for me to see Luca."

Little Russia.

Tarasov Gang.

Vigo has been reading the newspapers every day lately, inquiring about news from all sides. The biggest news is undoubtedly the dramatic changes in the Colombo family.

His younger brother, Abram, chuckled as he puffed on his cigar and joked, "I heard it wasn't just Scarpa. He set a good example, and many Mafia members chose to betray him afterward. Otherwise, with their crimes, they would have died in prison."

"Do you know what I admire most about the Mafia?" Vigo exclaimed. "The Law of Silence! Because of this law, the cohesion of Mafia families is incredibly strong. Everyone abides by the rules, and even if they are arrested, they take the blame themselves and never betray any information about the family."

Vigo spread his hands and shrugged. "What about our gang? We can only rely on our own abilities to control our subordinates. There are no rules hanging over everyone's heads. If we encounter loyal subordinates, that's our luck; if we encounter disloyal traitors, then we're finished. Abram, we need to investigate our internal situation. Be careful that the FBI doesn't try to recruit our members."

Abram muttered, "How are we supposed to tell them apart? Who knows what those people are thinking? We don't have mind-reading abilities. If only they had labels on their foreheads, it would be so easy to tell who's the informant and who's the brother." Vigo: "."

If I really had that ability, I would first have to see if Night Demon was truly loyal.

That guy has been getting busier and busier lately, spending all his time dating his girlfriend.

What kind of romance does a hitman have?
Do you want to get married, have children, and retire?

July 12, late.

Within a week, the Colombo family suffered a brutal purge, with more than a third of its official members facing federal charges. The authorities presented detailed and conclusive evidence, and these individuals will now face trial.

At this time, the Lucchese family held a high-level meeting at the SSR Club to discuss the major changes that had occurred within the Colombo family.

Too scary!

I thought the civil war was already pretty intense, but I didn't expect there to be such a big thing to come.

At this meeting, the big boss, Victor, demanded that everyone strictly discipline their subordinates to prevent a repeat of the Colombo family incident.

Meanwhile, the selection of a new gang leader will be postponed for the time being. At this critical moment, the gang leader and his superiors must be true and trustworthy people. Otherwise, it would be better to have fewer gang leaders than to promote someone arbitrarily.

As soon as Luca stepped out of the club after the meeting, Paulo had been waiting for him on the roadside for quite some time.

He opened the car door and invited, "Pigeon, Mr. Gambino invites you."

Long Island.

"This winter seems to be colder than usual."

Gambino remained seated in front of the fireplace, like an ordinary old man. He raised his eyelids slightly and gestured for Luca to sit down. "I hope I didn't disturb your rest by inviting you over so late."

"It's a bit cold on the street, and I was just looking for a safe place to sit down."

Luca was wearing a not-too-thick black coat and leather gloves, which he took off at that moment.

After chatting for a while, Luca mentioned the club's Christmas activities and invited, "Would you like to come and join us?"

Gambino chuckled: "Thank you. If I were decades younger, I would definitely participate."

The two then discussed Scarpa's betrayal and the impending purge of the Colombo family. This serious matter would affect not only the Colombo family but also other families.

Gambino said, “You did a great job resolving the Colombo family’s civil war. I promised you before that I would make you a referee of the National Mafia Commission, and now it’s time for me to fulfill that promise.”

But before that, I still need to ask for your opinion. You know, when we in the Mafia hold meetings, we always have a tradition that, in addition to the two sides with conflict, there is also a peacemaker presiding over the meeting.

The peacemaker is usually a family advisor.

Each of our families has a strategist or advisor. They are mostly well-versed in law, good at socializing, and good at business. Sometimes they also have to liaise with the authorities on behalf of the boss. This position was originally created to advise the boss, provide cover for the boss, act as the boss's mouthpiece, and sometimes stop the Mafia members from using violence endlessly to avoid attracting too much attention from the authorities.

And you, Luca the Pigeon, you've already made a name for yourself in the Bronx. While the nickname "Peace Ambassador" doesn't quite fit the Mafia, you certainly do fit the role of peacemaker. That's why I chose you as the temporary referee."

Gambino's eyes held a smile, and Luca smiled humbly, "Thank you for your recognition. It's my honor. I only did something insignificant."

So, are you interested?

Gambino patiently explained: "There are more than twenty Mafia families in the United States, and twelve of them have seats on the committee. They can't always sit down and meet peacefully, and conflicts are inevitable. After you become the referee and peacemaker on the committee, if a family seeks your help, you have to take on this responsibility to help them and mediate their conflicts."

Luca thought for a moment. Wasn't this a perfect fit for his system?

Does defending the peace of the underworld not count as peace?

Peace ambassadors should certainly bring peace to all of America!

As for what will become of these families in the end, Luca can only say that it will definitely be peaceful, just like Colombo, which has been severely damaged and has lost its arrogance. Even if it doesn't want peace, it has to be peaceful.

Luca asked curiously, "As a referee, what else do I need to do?"

Gambino: "If possible, without violating the law of silence, try to maintain a good relationship with the government behind the scenes. Sometimes conflicts originate from the government and require mediation."

Luca laughed. He bribed the police, the judges, the members of parliament, and everyone he could bribe.
The people arrested in the meeting that year were Gambino and his men, but he was released on bail the same day he was arrested and continued the meeting, while the "arrogant" prosecutor ruined his career and left in disgrace.

Of all the big bosses, Gambino had the best relationship with the government, so good that the authorities couldn't do anything about him. No one knew exactly how many government officials he had cultivated, or how far his influence extended in New York.

Luca only remembered that in the original story, Gambino's funeral was broadcast globally, with dozens or even hundreds of television stations reporting on it. In addition to all the high-ranking members and elites of the Mafia, a large number of government officials also participated in the funeral.

The only Godfather to die peacefully in bed, his passing was incredibly dignified.

"Luca."

Gambino shrank back and pulled the blanket tighter. "Luca, tell me your answer."

Luca: "I'm willing to serve."

By becoming a referee, one can openly extend their influence throughout the United States and intervene in the Mafia in other regions.

Gambino nodded with satisfaction: "Before Christmas, all the Mafia families in the country will receive news that you will become a referee!"

In the warm glow of the fireplace, a promise was made during a conversation between the young man and the old man.

Gambino: "As for now, the first thing you should do after taking over as referee is to resolve the conflict between the Colombo family and the Federation, minimize the impact of this matter, and make Persico and the others behave themselves. They are beyond saving, but I don't want to hear bad news about other families being implicated."

"As you wish."

Luca got up and left; he had secured the referee position, time to reap the ultimate prize.

(End of this chapter)